Unguarded
by lovecassia
Summary: Bakugo had been secretly fighting his own demons, but now he was ignoring the one person who normally helped him. Uraraka is suddenly faced with helping a classmate she barely knows. She finds herself able to reflect on how good of a person he really is and how he has inspired her. One shot.


Author's Note: I...am really not sure how I got here. One minute, I was editing the next chapter for Say My Name and googling inspiration to make a paragraph sound better...the next I was looking at an image of Deku holding a crying Bakugo and wondering how Uraraka might handle that. And suddenly a blank word document appeared and this happened. Oops?

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It was two in the morning when Uraraka was startled awake by frantic knocking on her door. She stared at it, her hair disheveled and sleep holding her eyes half shut, wondering if she had dreamt it when it happened again. She scrambled for the door and opened it hastily as the person on the other side continued knocking. Her eyes widened when she saw Kirishima leaning against the frame, panting with pink-tinted cheeks. A look of relief washed over his face when his eyes met hers.

"Uraraka, I'm so glad." His voice was ragged. "I need your help. It's Bakugo."

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Bakugo? What's wrong?"

"He won't let me in. Please, Uraraka, I don't know who else to ask." His words were almost tangled together with how fast he was talking. "Please help me."

She nodded, grabbing a hair tie from the dresser that sat next to her door before she joined him in the hallway. She smoothed her hair as she put it up, hoping it didn't look like a total wreck. Kirishima was walking ahead of her and at a pace that made her jog to keep up.

She huffed at the late-night exercise as they rounded the corner to the hallway between the boy's and girl's side of the building. "What's going on, Kirishima?"

"Okay, so I told him I'd never tell anyone but ever since we came to the dorms Bakugo has been having these nightmares. I've had to stay with him sometimes at night so he can actually sleep. He's never told me what happens, but they really fuck with him. Sometimes they're so bad his quirk discharges in his sleep."

Uraraka put a hand over her mouth. She had no idea Bakugo had been struggling like this. What kind of classmate and friend was she?

Kirishima interrupted her thoughts by continuing. "That's what woke me up tonight. I heard one go off, and I went over there to sit with him, but he won't let me in." His fists tightened at his side. "He's awake but he's blowing me off. I think it was really bad tonight and I don't know what to do."

Uraraka's chest tightened. Kirishima looked absolutely helpless.

"I want to help…" She paused, trying to choose her words carefully. "I want to help but I don't think he's going to open the door for me, either. We're not exactly close."

As they rounded the corner to the boy's hallway, Kirishima grabbed her arm and came to a halt. She studied the boy in front of her. His eyes were bloodshot and panicked, his face etched with worry. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as they stared at each other.

"I know." He took a deep breath. "I know you're not. But he knows your name, and he doesn't know anyone's. That has to mean something."

"Kirishima, I don't think—"

"Please." He interrupted. "Please, Uraraka. I know I'm grasping at straws."

She bit her lip as she watched his eyes dart back and forth between hers, trying to find her answer before she said it. She really didn't think she would be able to help him any. Bakugo was a handful to deal with when he was in a good mood, she couldn't imagine being able to get through to him when he was in a bad one. It honestly didn't make any sense. Using her wasn't going to work, Bakugo didn't like anyone except for Kirishima.

But he said that Bakugo wasn't opening the door for him.

Her eyebrows knitted together. What would she say to him once he opened the door? If he even opened the door? Could she even come up with anything to say to get him to open the door? She shook her head. It didn't matter. Bakugo needed help. She had already let him down once when she tried to keep Deku, Kirishima, and Todoroki from leaving to save him. It was the least she could do to repay him for that by trying to help him tonight.

"Okay. I'll do what I can."

Kirishima wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. They stayed like that just long enough for Uraraka to get used to his body heat before he pulled back and gave her a strained smile. He squeezed her shoulder's lightly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

She nodded at him, then turned towards the row of doors in front of them. Kirishima led her towards Bakugo's door. They both looked at each other before she faced it head on. She took a deep breath and knocked. She didn't think this was going to work, but she would try if Kirishima thought it was this important. After a few seconds of no response, she frowned and knocked again.

"Go away."

Bakugo's voice was muffled and distant, but he sounded tired. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard him so quiet. Was she really up to the challenge of handling a Bakugo who wasn't his usual self? She had only just gotten used to his intimidating personality during their camping trip, and now she was suddenly faced with the challenge of a Bakugo she'd never seen before. She frowned. What was she thinking? Why was she questioning this? A classmate was struggling, so she needed to help them.

"Bakugo," She paused, pressing her ear to the door to see if she could hear anything on the other side. She pressed her lips together when she heard nothing, then continued. "Bakugo, Kirishima told me he's worried about you."

Silence.

Then, "Tell shit-for-brains he needs to mind his own damn business."

She could almost feel Kirishima's indignation at the statement beside her as he readied to defend himself, but she turned towards him and put a hand to his chest. He blinked at her as she put a finger to her own mouth and shook her head, asking him to be quiet. If she said anything to Kirishima now, Bakugo would know they're both out here and might clam up. She needed to talk under the idea that it's just her. Kirishima furrowed his brows but nodded at her.

Uraraka turned back towards the door as if she were talking directly to it. "Why don't you go tell him yourself?"

Bakugo scoffed. A smile swept across her face at the sound. He had gotten closer to the door, close enough she could hear him without it sounding too horribly muffled. This was a really good sign, she hoped. She motioned for Kirishima to move towards his own door, out of sight if Bakugo opened the door in front of them. He obliged, looking even more confused than before.

"Or," She paused, nodding to herself. "Or you could let me in? That way I can see if he has a right to be worried about you. If I have a right to be worried about you."

Her words were met with silence. After a few seconds ticked by, she frowned at it. Maybe she wasn't as close to him opening the door as she thought she had been. She pressed an ear to the door in an attempt to hear him; breathing, movement, anything. Her heart leapt into her throat when she heard sniffling.

Was he…was Bakugo crying?

Her chest ached at the idea. The Bakugo she knew was way too proud, too passionate to cry quietly in his room and ignoring the world around him. Her eyes met Kirishima's and she could feel her expression softening as he searched her face for clues. Bakugo had never been her favorite person. His passion came off as anger, and he was loud. But he was loved. Kirishima was attached at his hip at all times, and Deku still talked about him as if they were close friends.

"I said go away."

He sounded so frail through the door. He also sounded like he was leaned up against it now.

"Bakugo…." His name escaped her lips in a whisper before she realized it.

The urge to get through the door and hug him overwhelmed her. She had to come up with a way to get him to open the door. What could she do to make him let her in? What would work against him? She pressed her forehead to the door, clenching her eyes tight together. What would make Bakugo do something he didn't want to do? What was appropriate for this situation?

Her eyes snapped open, full of determination, as she stood up straight. "Bakugo, if you don't let me in, I'm going to sit out here and talk to you through this door all night."

The only response she received was silence. She frowned.

"You can try to ignore me all you want, I don't care. But we both know that you hate unnecessary talking. And I have a lot to talk about." She paused for a moment, staring at the wood in front of her. "Or…you could let me in and I'll be quiet."

More silence. She bit her lip, then nodded to herself. She knew this was going to be hard before she agreed to it, but she also knew she couldn't give up if he was actually upset. They had never really talked before, so this was the easiest plan. She could talk about a bunch of different things, and either he'd take her talking as a safe presence or he'd get annoyed enough to open the door. She hoped so, at least. But she couldn't turn her back on him when he was hurting. Bakugo was known for being difficult, but he was still a person who, obviously, needed help sometimes.

She sat down and leaned against the door frame, facing Kirishima. She could see it in the red eyes that were watching her that he was thankful for her being there. She smiled as she leaned her head against Bakugo's door, tapping her chin with her finger.

"Now…where should I start?" She mused. "Oh! I wonder what the provisional license exam is going to be like. I don't think they'll use the big robots like they do here. I wonder if it will be focused on our skills individually, or if it will be a big competition like the entrance exams here. That would be a bunch of fun, but kind of scary, to be honest."

She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Boy, I could probably go for some coffee right now. I'm not used to being up at two in the morning, ya'know. I like my sleep, so I wouldn't do this for just anyone. I mean, I'd do it for anyone in class; I really like all of you. But, honestly, I don't think anyone else would refuse help when it was offered to hem. So, really, I'm already doing a lot more for you than I would do for anyone else because not only am I helping you, I'm having to convince you to let me help you first."

Kirishima snorted quietly, shaking his head as he sat down with his back to his own door. He leaned his head back to rest on the wood, a smile across his face as he stared at the wall on the other side of the hallway. He was probably amused with how straight forward she was being, but she couldn't help it. She actually really did like her sleep.

"But, ya'know, that's okay. I like you." She frowned and cleared her throat as heat rushed to her cheeks. "As a friend. I like you as a friend. You're a really good person. I mean, you can be super intense, but you have a really good heart. You seem to have really good intentions, but you're just so passionate it comes off the wrong way sometimes."

The door shook against her. She raised her head off of it, rubbing it lightly. She frowned and stuck her tongue out at it as if it Bakugo could see her. She was assuming he had hit the door with his fist.

"Shut up, round face." His voice was still quiet, and there was no bite to his words.

She raised an eyebrow at the door. "I told you the rules, Bakugo."

Silence.

"If you want me to be quiet, you have to open the door and let me in." She paused, seeing if there was any reaction before continuing. "Or I can sit out here and talk all night."

He didn't say a word, but she could hear him shift around on the other side of the door before it sounded like he slid down the door, sitting on the other side. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his stubbornness. Everyone is a little stubborn when they're upset, so it was only natural for Bakugo to be harder to get through to since his normal personality was as stubborn as an ox.

"Alright, fine. Talking it is." She chewed her lip, thinking of the next thing to talk about when she started laughing. "Are you embarrassed that I was talking about you? I didn't think you'd get flustered over something like that. But I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. You work super hard and that shows. It's part of the reason why Kirishima is your friend, right? You are able to think critically during a fight when the rest of us are still dodging. You almost have this natural ability to handle yourself during a fight, and you're super smart. It's really intimidating before someone gets to know you, though. When we went up against each other at the sports festival, I was so scared because I'd seen you give that look to people before and I didn't know how it would feel to be looked at like that. The moment you looked at me, though, I was ready to fight. You look intimidating but to be looked at like a worthy opponent, though…even when I knew I didn't have a chance to win because you're so amazing when you fight, I felt inspired to fight hard."

The door shook again. She smiled as she leaned her head back against the door frame. For someone who was so full of himself, he really didn't want her to talk about him. She should probably feel a little embarrassed that she's doing nothing but praising him, but this was all she could think of and he was reacting to it. She told him the rules and if he wanted her to stop, he knew what to do.

If she was lucky, pushing his buttons like this might work.

"I was really glad you still took our battle seriously. You stayed on guard the entire time, which almost helped me win. Even when the crowd started yelling at you, you didn't let it affect you at all. You were so focused…."

She trailed off as her eyes met Kirishima's. He was watching her intently as she talked; he hadn't seen their fight. He had heard about it from everyone else in class, but Uraraka didn't really talk about it much and she was assuming Bakugo probably didn't either. Maybe he was interested to hear her side of the story? It still stung to talk about, but it was some of the only ammunition she had against Bakugo so he might open the door.

"I can still see the look in your eyes, ya'know." She mused, tapping her chin. "Before the sports festival, I thought that look was scary. When you get really into something, you come off as mean. So I had always shied away from it. But when you looked at me like that, it inspired me. Because even little bitty me, a girl who can only make things float, was worth all of your attention in battle when you have such an explosive quirk."

She giggled to herself as she laid her head against he door again. "Pun intended."

She could hear Bakugo moving around on the other side of the door, but he didn't say anything. But there was progress, though. He hadn't hit the door again yet. She smiled at Kirishima, hoping he knew what she was smiling at. He smiled back at her, head resting on his arms which were wrapped around his legs. He looked like he was thinking of something, but he stayed quiet.

"Do you remember when we did our very first hero versus villain training, Bakugo?" She questioned. "It was me and Deku against you and Iida. Back then I was so glad that you were so focused on Deku. But now I want to be on your side and see what we could accomplish together as heroes. I wonder if I could do better against you now? Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to—"

A click interrupted her, stopping her sentence dead as she stared at Kirishima with wide eyes. Bakugo had unlocked the door. Kirishima's expression mimicked hers and he started moving, so she shook her head and put a finger to her lips again. Bakugo thought it was just her. He might feel betrayed if he knew Kirishima was out here the entire time. The door cracked open and she peered into the doorway, trying to see anything.

"Bakugo?"

The door opened a little more and she could see him standing in the doorway, looking down at her. Disbelief surged through her at the same time her heart skipped a beat. His cheeks were tear stained, his eyes bloodshot.

"You really don't shut up." He muttered.

She smiled up at him. "I told you I wouldn't. Are you going to let me in now?"

Bakugo disappeared from the door way, the door opening a little more. She nodded and stood. She cast a glance over at Kirishima as she walked into the room. His face was nothing short of pure astonishment; his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. She really hated leaving him out there, but she knew Bakugo would clam back up the moment he knew she said all that in front of someone else. Even if it was Kirishima.

Once the door shut behind her, she was wrapped in the dark silence of the room. As her eyes adjusted, she felt two arms wrap around her shoulders in a tight hug, his chin resting on her shoulder. She froze at the contact. Of all the ways she had expected him to react once she was in his room, this had definitely not been one of them. She grabbed his forearms with her hands, leaning her head against his. He was warm and his breathing was quiet, albeit uneven. She could feel him quiver against her as he exhaled.

"Can we go sit on your bed?" She whispered, gently pulling his arms from her shoulders.

He didn't say a word as he led her to his bed. She could barely make out where the edge of it was, surprised when Bakugo suddenly turned and sat down on it. She followed suit, scooting to lean her back against the wall. He matched her movements, causing her to frown. She couldn't comfort him if he was just going to sit next to her like that. She reached over and tugged at his arm softly, smiling to herself when he slowly followed her lead and leaned down, laying his head on her lap. His entire body was rigid against her. Her lips pressed together as she tentatively rested a hand on his head, then started running her fingers through his hair.

"It's okay," her voice was soft. "I won't tell anyone. No one has to know."

Eventually, his muscles relaxed. He laid there quietly as her fingers massaged his head and ran through his hair. He was so quiet she could barely believe that the boy laying across her lap was Bakugo. The entire situation was really so odd she could barely process it. How hard must he be struggling to allow himself to be so unguarded? She reached up with her free hand to wipe away the tears that were under his eyes. Her chest tightened the moment she felt how wet his face was. She had known he had been crying, she had seen it and was working to remove the tears…but actually feeling the wetness against her fingertips suddenly made it very real. Bakugo had been crying. She swallowed as she dried her hand on her shorts before returning it to his face. She tenderly stroked his cheek as she studied him. She could only make out the faint outline of his face, she could barely tell that his eyes were closed.

He really was defenseless tonight.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

A frown formed on his face. He shook his head, then rolled onto his side, nuzzling into her stomach and grabbing ahold of her hand that was rubbing his face with one of his own. She couldn't stop the smile that forced itself on her lips.

"Okay, then."

This wasn't the Bakugo she knew it at all. And while she could do without the heartache surrounding this, she knew this was a Bakugo she wouldn't mind getting to know. This soft, unguarded side of him. She actually really wanted to get to know that.

Her fingers continued gliding through his hair. She laid her head back against the wall as they stayed like that, enjoying how soft his hair was against her skin as her mind began to wander.

She wondered how long he had been dealing with this alone before Kirishima noticed and stepped in. She wondered how long Kirishima had been trying to help him. She wondered if she was doing enough for him, or if she needed to talk to him about this later on. He probably wouldn't let her; he would probably get super defensive and yell at her, telling her to mind her own business.

Her eyes closed as she thought about the idea of being with him like this again. Running her hands through his hair, seeing the edges of his face soften as he rested. She liked the way he looked when he wasn't yelling all the time.

It didn't seem like very long before his breathing evened out and got deeper. She glanced down at him and smiled. She could wonder all she wanted, but she was honestly just really glad she was able to help him, even if it was just for tonight.


End file.
